Paranormal and Romance Reviews from Unicorn Tree Books

Paranormal Romance Reviews - The Place to share thoughts, feelings, suggestions and reviews on Paranormal and Romance Genre Books and fiction - though feel free to review and suggest other books and Genres too!

Thursday, 4 September 2008

I have never read the Dark Hunter series until now, mainly because every time I picked up the first book in the series the blurb just sounded too stupid…ancient guy stuck in a book to be used a sex slave…nope just didn’t appeal to me, and truth be told it still doesn’t.

However having just finished Acheron I may have to go and read the rest of the series (including, or maybe excluding, the first one in the series)

Acheron is in actual fact two books in one, hence why it is such a huge volume, but it is well worth reading. The first half of the story deals with Acheron’s life as a human, and his very early life as a god. It is an incredibly well written story that had me crying in a few places, whilst all the while wanting someone to just love Acheron for himself. The things that Acheron suffered but survived are horrific, perhaps all the more so because it was written in such a way as to be believable. Yes it is set 11,000 years ago in a place steeped mainly in myth, but the innate cruelty of people was laid bare by Sherrilyn Kenyon, and I applaud her for daring to write such a difficult topic, and writing it with compassion yet with brutal honesty. The human race hasn’t changed in 11,000 years. If you never read the rest of the book or series I urge you to read the first half of this story, it really is worth it in my opinion.

As to the second half, it kept my interest but I think that was mainly because Acheron had found himself a place in my heart. I really can see why fans of this series have been champing at the bit for this book to be written. He and Simi, (really love Simi! she’s like Jayne Castle’s Dust Bunnies!) are the reason I am going to have to go and read the rest of the series. And also because some of the other characters I have met in this book have been so off the wall I really do need to go and read their stories.

As to the heroine Tory, well I really didn’t connect with her and had no real interest in the love story between her and Acheron, all I really wanted to know was, was Acheron finally going to find someone to love him? I couldn’t have cared one way or the other if it was Tory or not, what mattered was that she was who Acheron wanted. So in that respect this wasn’t so much a romance for me as it was a life story, Acheron’s life story. The romance was very much secondary to his story,even though that was I surmise the whole point to the second half of the book. After all this series is a paranormal romance series, but then I think Acheron has taken on a life of his own separate to the whims of the author and the readers.

If like me you haven’t read any of the Dark Hunter books before, don’t worry, it is very easy to read this book and thoroughly enjoy it. Ms Kenyon has done a great job of setting the world so that it can be followed (so long as you pay attention while your reading the first half of the book!) So even if you haven’t read the series, try this book, you may find like me you have to go read the rest!Tazallie

1. Fantasy Lover 2. The Beginning (in Sins of the Night)3. Dragonswan4. Night Pleasures5. Night Embrace6. Phantom Lover (in Midnight Pleasures)7. Dance with the DevilX8. A Dark-Hunter Christmas (in Dance with the DevilX)9. Kiss of the Night10. Night Play11. Winter Born (in Stroke of Midnight)12. Seize the Night13. Sins of the Night14. Second Chances (free give away exclusive novella)15. Unleash the Night16. The Dark Side of the Moon 17. A Hard Day’s Night-Searcher (in My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding)18. Until Death We Do Part (in Love at First Bite)19. Fear the Darkness20. The Dream Hunter21. Devil May Cry22. Upon the Midnight Clear23. The Dark-Hunter Companion (with Alethea Kontis)24. Dream Chaser25. Acheron26. One Silent Night 200827. Dream Warrior 2000928. Fang2009

I found this book purely by accident one slow day at work. I was killing some time flicking through the new delivery of paranormal books, the blurb on this one hadn’t really caught my eye but I was looking to see what books were advertised in the back of the book when the last line of the novel caught my eye.“And then we’ll kill each other as god intended”

Well with a line like this how could I not read it? Now I am really frustrated because the book has ended and I have to wait for book two to be out!

What I liked about this book was the female lead, Mira. She’s a vampire with an unusual skill that has made her the target of some awful things and creatures, but she’s no victim. Yet there is a vulnerable side to her that is revealed as the book goes on, in fact in a world of dangerous vampires she has retained her humanity. This book is incredibly well written, you get a real sense of the places you visit, you can taste the shadows and feel the fog rolling off the Thames. And the battle scenes keep you gripped to the last. Although you know Ms Drake can’t plan to kill Mira off, you still feel that this really is a fight to the death, and Mira has no fear of it being hers.

This book kept me in its thrall from the first page, each passage revealing just a little more about the Naturi and the Coven, about Mira and Danaus, the vampire hunter who becomes her ally. Yet never revealing enough so that you can guess where the story is going. This series is going on my favourite list.And all I can say is “please write quickly Ms Drake!”

Wednesday, 3 September 2008

Well September is here, the kids are back in school (Yippee!) and the September books are starting to come out. So here is my September 2008 list of new releases. This list includes books that I know I will be reading (Such as Christine Feehan’s Dark Curse) and some that look good but may just sit on my TBR (to be read) list indefinitely.

Monday, 1 September 2008

I don’t know about you but sometimes I look at a book and thing nope dont want to read it, but then something keeps drawing you back to it until finally you have to give in and just read the blooming thing! Well this was one of those books, for ages now I have been picking this book up and then putting it back but finally I have read it, and I’m really glad I did!

This is a vampire story with a slight difference, vampires aren’t as we normally expect them to be in this series, they are in fact a parasitic creature that take over a human host. They call themselves the Thrall and actually have a collective hive mentality.At first I have to say this book was pretty confusing, I kept wondering if there was a book that preceded it because it really felt like I was coming into the story with something missing. This, to my way of thinking, is bad writing on the part of the authors, they jump straight into this world without actually setting it up in the readers mind. Once you get into the book, things become much clearer and it actually becomes a pretty intersting story line, but I think many people will give up on the book before it starts to make any sense at all.

Kate is a woman with psychic abilities who a few years ago was attacked by the soon to be vampire queen (vampires in this book call themselves the Thrall). She survives the attack without becoming a host to the thrall (a vampire), but it leaves her with a conection to the Thrall collective. As the vampire queens host dies (they have an average life span of just a few years) the queen decides that Kate will be her replacement queen, whether she wants to or not!

Once you get past the initial confusion, this becomes an intersting and enjoyable read, with an original view on what is a vampire (no dark brooding vampires set to seduce the unsuspecting heroine! Roll over Bram!) Its not sexy, its not seductive and the heroine is someone you could actually imagine knowing. So if you want something different than the normal vampire fare, try this one on for size.

Sunday, 31 August 2008

To be truthful I really dont know why I still read this series, or indeed this author. Perhaps its become somewhat of a tradition for me, or perhaps I just keep hoping that there will be a suprise in the story? Whatever it is I still keep coming back to them.

I started reading Diana Palmer and the Long tall texans series donkey's years ago when I was an impressionable teen devouring mills and boons romance novels, at the time Ms Palmer was one of my all time favourite writers, lots of alpha males and sweet virginal women finding love. And the stories are still the same ...sometimes almost identical. There have been a few good books along the way that I really enjoyed but this wasnt one of them, in fact I would have to say that I have read this story quite a few times before from Ms Palmer, and it was boring. Sorry but thats my opinion!

Diana Palmer needs to move on, I still like Alpha males but I like a woman who can tame him, not just submit mindlessly. In this story Boone the ultra rich succesful rancher has been ignoring his sisters best friend Keely for years, to hid the fact that he is in fact attracted to her. Keely in turn has loved Boone for years, but she is a poor abused mouse of a child/woman. Ok need I go on? not really cos this could be any number of the the other Long tall texan books. You know whats going to happen, he's going to be really rotten to her, push her away, protect her, seduce her, then marry her. Oh and dont forget the drug dealers who are after the heroine! (the new constant in these books)

So why do I still keep reading them? I really do think its simply because she was one of my first favourite authors and I am loyal to her, but I really, really do wish just for once her heroine would be in her thirties, with a kick butt attitude who shocks the pants of the big tough alpha male. Oh well maybe the next one will be better!!!! (and you can bet your bottom dollar I will read it!)

Friday, 29 August 2008

Anna is a vampire, who was turned agaisnt her will and is desperately trying to retain her human life as a bounty hunter and as a daughter, lover and friend.

Each book has left me with a feeling that there is a back story just waiting to explode, but it hasn't happened yet!You can't help but feel a little sorry for Anna, she didnt want this to happen to her, she just wants to be left alone to live this new and often difficult life, and yet from the very first she has been pushed into a direction that she just dosen't want to go. All of her human relationships are crumbling before her very eyes, no matter how hard she tries to hold on to them.

I like this series, but it isn't a page turner, however it does keep me looking forward to the next book, hopefully to solve the mystery that all the other supernaturals seem to be keeping from her. Just what does Williams want from her? and why is he so determined to get rid of her family? What is this destiny that people keep hinting at?

This book was perhaps a little slower than the others but I get the feeling it was a way of moving the series in a particular direction, perhaps setting up the pieces for the hidden sub plot that is hinted at throughout the series. Regardless it was a good read, if a little lacking in depth in places.

Sunday, 17 August 2008

I have to keep a list of what books I am waiting for so that I don't miss any, I will share this list each month because there may be books you didn't know were coming out or perhaps authors you hadn't heard of.